1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a container for holding and dispensing a measured quantity of a liquid.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Hand held squeeze bottles for dispensing measured quantities of liquid have been the subject of prior patents. In a measuring and dispensing bottle having a storage chamber, a second chamber for measuring is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,574, issued to Robert J. Donoghue on Jul. 21, 1964, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,897, issued to Michael Wortley on Dec. 2, 1986. Unless the bottle of Donoghue '574 is held in an inverted position, liquid can return to the storage chamber. The bottle disclosed in Wortley '897 includes a tube discharging liquid from the storage chamber to the dispensing chamber at a point high in the latter, so that a significant amount of liquid can accumulate without draining back to storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,971, issued to Mark E. Reyman on Jun. 9, 1992, shows another dispensing bottle wherein a measuring chamber is filled when the bottle is inverted, and excess liquid is returned to storage when the bottle is returned to upright. Return is automatically performed, by flow enabled when the bottle is appropriately oriented with respect to upright. Dispensing is accomplished by pressure brought to bear by squeezing the bottle.
A dispensing container having an air lock for scavenging an outlet passageway and for preventing liquid discharge from the container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,349, issued to John G. Kaufman on Apr. 13, 1982.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,767, issued to Daniel J. Griffiths on Oct. 25, 1988, discloses a dispensing container bearing similarities to the above inventions, and further incorporating a float valve to prevent overfilling of the measuring and dispensing chamber. Another valve, in this case a sphere retained within a chamber, is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,553, issued to Jack Weinstein on Jul. 7, 1992.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,971, issued to Louis F. Kutik on Nov. 2, 1971, discloses a dispensing container featuring a propellant under pressure, and valving for measuring and dispensing a liquid.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.